Z.Z. Hill

This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll meet “the other Z.Z.” of Texas blues.

On April 23, 1984, Z.Z. Hill gave his last performance at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas. Arzell Hill was born in Naples, Texas, in 1935. He began his musical career at 19 when he moved to Dallas to sing gospel. However, Hill also enjoyed blues and R&B. In 1964, he recorded his first single, “You Were Wrong.” Hill did not record again until 1972, when he released a string of blues and R&B hits, including “Down Home Blues” and “Love Is So Good When You’re Stealin’ It.”

By the early 1980s, Z.Z. Hill was poised to capitalize on a growing interest in Texas blues. However, in February 1984, he was involved in a car accident that caused health problems from which he would never fully recover. Despite these difficulties, Hill continued to perform, giving his last concert in Dallas just days before his death.

Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll meet a salesman who rode the airwaves to the Governor’s Office.

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